1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recoil brake for a gun. The recoil brake includes a brake cylinder in which slides a piston having a hollow piston rod. As the piston moves as urged by the recoiling mass, it displaces the hydraulic fluid through a narrow flow cross section to thus brake the recoiling mass. The piston rod and the brake cylinder define a brake chamber formed therebetween. Adjacent the closed end of the piston rod there is defined a counterrecoil buffer spear chamber. The brake cylinder also includes a buffer spear which is fixed to the brake cylinder and which projects into the buffer spear chamber so that during counterrecoil, the buffer spear displaces the hydraulic fluid from the buffer spear chamber through a throttle opening.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Published European Patent Application No. 220,370 discloses a recoil brake which can be placed between the cradle and the breechblock of a gun. The brake contains a piston which is slidably disposed in a brake cylinder. The piston is moved by the recoiling gun barrel in a direction outwardly of the brake cylinder and, at the same time, the piston presses the hydraulic fluid through a narrow flow cross section for the purpose of braking the recoiling gun barrel. Thereafter, the gun barrel is moved again forward by a recuperator. During this forward movement of the gun barrel, a buffer spear enters into a buffer spear chamber toward the end of the counterrecoil (forward) movement and displaces the hydraulic fluid from the buffer spear chamber through a throttle opening. This causes damping of the velocity of the counterrecoiling mass to the extent that it is able to enter the firing position without much of an impact. However, a buffer spear of this type is only suitable as a damping means for the end position. In devices where there is firing with different charges such that short recoil paths develop for the small charges, particularly for armored howitzers equipped for an automatic flow of ammunition, the volume of the buffer spear chamber may not be filled sufficiently with hydraulic fluid so that the counterrecoil movement lacks a defined course of velocity. Such a defined velocity course is necessary to manage control processes for ammunition flow components such as the primer supply or a ramming device.
German Patent No. 423,490 discloses a device which combines a recoil brake and a recuperator mechanism. This device provides braking and counterrecoil grooves which have a steadily changing flow cross section. These grooves are disposed parallel to one another on the interior of a sleevetype regulator for braking the gun barrel recoil over the entire length of the gun barrel recoil so as to realize a uniform recuperation velocity. Upon counterrecoil, a predominantly uniform counterrecoil velocity is achieved by throttling the hydraulic fluid in the region of the counterrecoil grooves. However, this device is subject to malfunction due to wear of the valve seats, and has the further drawback that it requires a structural length of at least twice the gun barrel recoil length. The device requires this length to enable the piston to enter, during braking, into a further cylinder chamber corresponding to the recoil length of the gun barrel in order to displace the hydraulic fluid.